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All-Star reserves named

All-Star reserves named

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By Jim Street
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MLB.com |

When it was all said and done, the Major League players and baseball fans saw eye-to-eye in selecting the National starters for the 77th All-Star Game, and NL manager Phil Garner shied away from padding the roster with his own players.

All eight of the NL starters named Sunday night were the leading vote-getters at their respective positions by the fans and players. And although none of the players from the reigning NL champion Houston Astros were selected by fans or players, Astros manager Phil Garner chose just one of his own -- first baseman Lance Berkman -- as a reserve.

While Berkman is the only player representing the Astros (barring an injury replacement), the Chicago White Sox have six players on the American League team, all of them selected by the players or manager Ozzie Guillen -- with the potential for a seventh.

Baseball fans around the world decided that none of the defending World Series champion position players were worthy of All-Star starting status. But MLB players disagreed, voting for outfielder Jermaine Dye and infielder Jim Thome.

Guillen, with help from others, selected White Sox starter Mark Buehrle and closer Bobby Jenks to the AL pitching staff, along with first baseman Paul Konerko, and catcher A.J. Pierzynski is one of five Final Vote candidates.

Now in its fifth year, the Monster.com 2006 All-Star Final Vote gives baseball fans around the world the opportunity to select the final player on each All-Star team. Balloting began immediately following Sunday's Major League All-Star Selection Show presented by Chevrolet, and continues until 6 p.m. ET Thursday. The winners will be announced on ESPN and MLB.com shortly thereafter.

There are two ways for fans to vote for the 2006 All-Star Final Vote -- online now at MLB.com, or on-the-go from their cell phones. Fans can also text the word "VOTE" to 36197 to have the All-Star Final Vote Candidates sent to your phone. To vote for a specific player, simply reply with your choice. For $.30 per text message vote, fans will have the freedom to vote from wherever they are. Fans can get the mobile ballot now. In Canada, fans should text the word "VOTE" to 28776.

The fun doesn't end there, however. Fans, having already decided the starters and final player on each team, once again will have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player presented by Chevrolet at the 77th All-Star Game via the Monster 2006 All-Star Game MVP Vote on MLB.com.

The All-Star Game, to be held on Tuesday, July 11, at 8 p.m. ET, will be televised nationally by FOX Sports and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage and MLB Radio will provide exclusive play-by-play coverage of the game on the Internet.

Besides selecting Buehrle and Jenks from his own pitching staff, Guillen added left-hander Barry Zito from the Oakland Athletics and Mark Redman from the Kansas City Royals to the All-Star staff.

As for the position backups, Guillen selected Baltimore Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada and Cleveland Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore and Konerko, while the player picks included Twins catcher Joe Mauer, White Sox slugger Jim Thome, Blue Jays third baseman Troy Glaus, Michael Young of the Texas Rangers and outfielders Vernon Wells and Alex Rios of the Blue Jays.

However, a leg infection will prevent Rios from playing, and he has been replaced by Rangers outfielder Gary Matthews Jr., one of two injury replacements. Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, selected by the players vote, has a hamstring injury and was replaced on the All-Star team by Mariners second baseman Jose Lopez.

Putting Tejada on the team provides an opportunity for the All-Star Game to have the same player capture the Most Valuable Player Award in back-to-back seasons for the first time in the Midsummer Classic's history.

Tejada, who started the 2005 All-Star Game and was selected as the Most Valuable Player, played in his 1,001st consecutive game on Sunday.

"It's great to go to the All-Star game one more year," Tejada said. "I am happy to get selected. That's another thing I've got to say, 'Thank God.' I never thought I was going to win the MVP of the All-Star game, and I did. That's something that I'll never forget."

Garner, managing his first All-Star Game, selected right-hander Carlos Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs, Brian Fuentes of the Colorado Rockies, Brad Penny of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Jason Schmidt of the San Francisco Giants.

The remainder of the NL pitching staff is composed of player picks Brando Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Bronson Arroyo of the Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow, Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez of the New York Mets, Tom Gordon of the Philadelphia Phillies, Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals and San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman.

Garner's hand-picked reserves are Freddy Sanchez of the All-Star Game host Pittsburgh Pirates, and third baseman Scott Rolen of the St. Louis Cardinals. The backups selected by the players are Matt Holliday of the Rockies, Braves center fielder Andruw Jones and Carlos Lee of the Milwaukee Brewers.

"We had a lot of rules for picking the team," Guillen said. "Players vote, fans vote and the manager picks one or two guys. It's a shame when you cannot pick everyone that deserves to be there. Your hands are tied because (every team) must be represented"

The Blue Jays had no players selected by the fans, but they were a player/manager favorite as five players were named to the AL team, including Rios.

"That's a lot, but all five are very deserving," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "I would have guessed five, but I don't know how it all sets up. We've got some good players, guys are having great years, and we've got a good club. It's good for the town."

"I think it just shows how good this team has been," Wells added. "To have five guys go from one team. This is not a team that has a lot of representatives in the starting lineup -- or any.

"We don't have the kind of support that the Red Sox and Yankees have where they pretty much have their whole starting lineups starting in that game. These guys have played well and we've been able to have a good first half."

Jim Street is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.